TeeJay

Thanks PM sent Thanks It actually came on a black rubber strap, and I have tried it on a black strap which is an identical counterpart (other than color) to the strap it's on now. While it is very 'low key' on the black leather, the all black is a little monotonous, and personally, I feel the watch looks nicer on a brown (or tan) strap, to make the black of the case a more 'independant' feature. I can't get to the camera at the moment, but I'll try and get a shot of it on the black leather strap when I can

I forget if this is a subject which has really been discussed before, but I'm curious to find out how others stand on the ink issue. FXRAndy, Lanikai, I'm expecting good results from you, amigos. I've been thinking more recently about my own tattoos and thinking what direction I want to go with them. Not so long ago, I was contemplating a full Japanese-style bodysuit, but, thanks to the use of some costume 'tattoo sleeves', have discovered that I wasn't so keen on the result as I thought, so I'll likely just stick to my plan to expand the tribal design on my shoulders down my spine and further up my neck. Another idea I have, came from watching Season 1 of Smallville, and the 'Kryptonite-infused tattoos' in the episode Kinetic, and I'm considering having additional lines added to my existing tribal work, but with green UV-reactive ink, and I think if it's handled properly, I could wind up with two very nice 'complimentary/negative image' tattoos right on top of each other Here're a few old pics of what I have done so far:

A little of Chip Foose's magic, and you'd be well and truly taken care of You've got an awesome car there, I'm sure you'll get round to the restoration eventually

Wow, 56 views and not one comment, not even a rating... Is the watch really that bad?? "iz it coz it iz blak??" Bunch of snobby racists Oh well, I like it, and that's all that matters Thanks for looking

Sure, everyone makes mistakes, but, as you point out, constantly doing it and charging money is something else. If there'd only been single issues of damage with the watch, then sure, benefit of the doubt to the person who did the work, maybe an accident occured, and, on a single issue, shouldn't be impossible or too costly to correct, but that watch is something else entirely. As Lonnie pointed out, how the hell does someone butcher a screw like that (other than by using completely inappropriate tools) I don't know who did the work on the watch, but I hope the owner does name them, not to humiliate and shame them, but so I can know never to send any of my watches to them for any reason. Absolutely so. Something I've noticed, perhaps it's just my own perception, is that lately, there seems to be an ethos of protecting dealers and such, rather than buyers... Maybe people are just too scared to report poor services for fear of getting their supply-line cut... If that's the case, then should said dealers (or whatever) even be here? I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: On RWG, you don't choose Dealer, Dealer chooses you! Pretty much the same as my above post, by all means give the person the chance to correct their mistakes, but seriously, people have a right to know if the person their sending their watches to for work, are actually reliable or not. Keeping names out of things to 'spare blushes' might be noble, but, it also runs the risk of letting some other unfortunate fall victim to someone's 'skills'... Best of luck with a resolution, I hope it all gets worked out to your satisfaction

Wow. I know I've never really done any work on a watch before, but other projects I've worked on have required a similar set of skills (if on a much larger scale) and the amount of damage which has been inflicted by screwdriver, and the totally uneven re-lume, makes me wonder if the person who did the work had ever undertaken such a project before. Even worse to think someone paid money to have that done to their watch

I thought it had that look, it certainly suits the watch perfectly

Fantastic I'm sure I've read something about using something like detergent and an old toothbrush to age the 24 markings, but I forget precicely what cleaning agent was recommended... With regards dings and scuffs, I tried the 'coins in a coffee can' method, which others have mentioned, with my Daytona, and it had no effect at all

Absolutley fantastic work on the dial and hands (and shaving the crystal's none too shabby either ) Out of curiousity, as you made the dial look vintage, do you have any plans to 'distress' the case and bracelet?

Silly question, but was that strap originally a PAM strap?

I have to admit, Burtons are pretty good for stuff, but, a warning to all, avoid their shoe range like the plague. They look nice, but don't last very long (about a month or two tops / ) Also, the sweater wasn't in a sale, that was the full retail price Of course, for even better bargain goods, one need look no further than the magic that is Matalans Hee hee, some red neons will complete the look perfectly (joking asside, red actually would go with that 'color scheme' as it's in the Burberry pattern anyway [which I suspect of being a Tartan maker's sick joke ])

Hee hee, Burberry was the company/product I first caught selling a 'high end' product, which was sold at a much lower price in a highstreet store I bought a white long-sleeved sweater for

Sounds good, I'll certainly look into it

Absolutely. Another 'system' I've heard of, is (I've forgotten it's name) a kind of situational training to get someone used to the adrenaline rush of actual fear, and still be able to handle themselves without loosing their cool, forgetting their training, and just waving their arms and legs about while getting a good pasting It's something like P.A.N.I.C but really can't remember. One thing I did remember from reading the info, was that the 'aggressor' would be wearing a fully padded bodysuit, so they could withstand full-force, intended to hurt/maim/kill blows without risk, so the 'defender' could get used to being [censored]-scared, but still fight effectively. Another aspect, was that the training was somewhat 'randomized' so sometimes the 'aggressor' would only do something like bark like a dog to try and psych the 'defender' out, others, they would launch an unpredictable attack. Pretty awesome concept, I just wish I remember more about it

Hola, amigo I loved my trip to Spain last week, glad to see I'm not the only one who had a good visit Awesome

I think we could include her, although in all fairness, there are much more deserving people than her PS PM on it's way on a totally unrelated issue

Sadly reminds me of Tim Westwood. Now there's an excuse for a 'hate crime' if ever their was one (I'm sure in private, he is a very formal and polite man who insists on being called Timothy )

I think the thing that made the line even funnier, was that it could actually (just about) be used in real life to brush someone off Oh yeah, but not as funny as his yelling "Mom!" during his rant for PROTEIN!!! I'm sure 'his boys' could help him find another source of protein It's about 2.5/3 inches long all over, and pretty even. I've cut my own hair before a few years back with clippers, but this was more a 'damage control' exercise as, when I bleached my hair before going to Spain, I left the bleach on too long, and the lower 9-12 inches (which had been bleached several times over the past 18 months) pretty much disintegrated and snapped off, leaving me with what felt like a load of cottoncandy at the tips, so, it was out with the scissors and emergency action Not the first time I've had to cut my own hair, and it probably won't be the last Oh dear People like that really irritate me. I wonder when he last looked in a mirror and realized that he wasn't a gangsta from Compton...

I'd originally asked for and received a 127, but, an issue with the CG Lever meant it had to be returned... Not to worry, I'll be ordering another in due time, but, just to remind myself, here it is Did I like it? Yes. Will I be getting another? Definitely. Would I have worn it every day as a beater? No... Although the case didn't swamp my wrist, I felt that the dial was a little too big for me. More of an instroment dial than a watch... Maybe longer to adapt to another would change that feeling... Anyway, onto the outcome. I returned the 127 in return for a PVD 111g, and I absolutely love it. Love the movement bridges, love the dial, I even like the AR. I do have plans to have the dial replaced with a re-lumed sandwich dial, but, untill the funds become available, I'll be wearing and loving it 'as is'. Here're some photos

That's very true. One of the problems I've found with many 'organized' martial arts, is, as you say, when it's put to situational use, someone who relies solely on kata and form will wind up, at best with an ass-whooping, and worst dead as real life opponents don't stand where the form 'says' they 'should' stand, or react in the way a fellow student would in a training session.

Another interesting martial art, is Kali, and this was the style Matt Damon trained in for his appearance in the Bourne Trilogy. (His fight in his apartment in Paris in The Bourne Identity is probably the best clear example of it) It's an extremely brutal, but extremely economical art, where strikes and counter-strikes are totally seamless, so the practicioner is only expending a minimum amount of energy, but gaining a maximum effect. Absolutely Interesting I've been studying bujutsu since I was about 8 (Japanese fighting in it's purest forms) I haven't been to a dojo in years, but still practice regularly How about donating them to el Papi with the lime greens?

I believe krav maga is the martial art taught by the Isreali Special Forces (who are essentially Double-Hard Bastards who make the SAS look like pansies ) I also seem to recall reading that it was one of the fighting styles Jennifer Garner received tuition in for her role in Alias.

Nope, no winder, I just give them a shake as needed, but other than that, don't keep them all running all the time. As someone once said in another topic on the issue, you wouldn't keep a car on a rolling road to keep the engine going, and then get in it to actually drive it Also, none of my SMPs are quartz... The 2531.80 I have (which is the older model) is the automatic counterpart of the 2431.80. The quartz 2431.80 was what Pierce Brosnan wore in GoldenEye, but in Tomorrow Never Dies, he was wearing the automatic 2531.80 We'll have to wait and see I've never been one to do 'change for the sake of change', so I tend to wear a certain watch or watch/strap combo for a while as a beater, only then changing for a special occasion, or a definite wardrobe shift. I tend to wear tan/brown shoes most of the time, so unless I'm wearing black shoes, I tend to keep the straps brown (if possible for the watch) As for Emily getting snarky, she's already quite keen to have a go at the fuss I give my watches, but, I can always counter that with the fuss she gives her collections of rocks and gems Thanks I'm getting ready to do 'the photoshoot' for the Panerai Area which will (hopefully) showcase the watch to it's full I do indeed Part of it, is, as mentioned in that thread, if it's a practice good enough for James Bond, it's good enough for me, but the other part, is that I don't like to be without a watch on for too long, as I like to know what the time is (not quite an OCD, but more compulsion than habit) and at night, I don't like having to turn a light on to check the time, as a sudden light when my eyes are totally relaxed and dilated is a tad painfull, so it's as easy for me to keep my watch on, and, that also saves fumbling round on a nightstand and knocking stuff onto the floor I just find it the easiest option all round

I've had this on since it arrived, but only just got access to a camera to get a decent photo. I'll do a series later in the Panerai Area to show it off properly, but for now, here's a taster of my PVD PAM 111(g?)